King James Version · Under Rome
Romans 13
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Let every be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no but of : the powers that be are ordained of . Whosoever therefore resisteth the , resisteth the of : and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the ? do that which is good, and thou shalt have of the same: For he is the minister of to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not in : for he is the minister of , a revenger to execute upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for , but also for sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are ’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; to whom . Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled . For this, Thou shalt not , Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false , Thou shalt not ; and if there be any other , it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of . And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our nearer than when we . The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of , and let us put on the armour of . Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on , and make not provision for , to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.